NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has made it clear that he would like for the league to switch to a two-preseason, 18 regular season game model for the league, a switch from the current three and 17 format.
However, there has been apprehension from many around the game, and especially players, about what extending the regular season could mean for the health and safety of players.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes made his thoughts clear on the seemingly inevitable change coming to the league.
“I think that you’d have to find a way to have more bye weeks, more time spread out,” Mahomes told Alex Sherman of CNBC. “Because, I mean, you’ve seen the amount of injuries that have kind of piled up there at the end of seasons, and you want to have the best players playing in the biggest games.
“And so if there were a way to get to 18 games, I’m not — I’m not a big fan of it. But if there were a way, I think you got to add some bye weeks in there to give more time for guys’ bodies.”
Fans reacted to Mahomes’ take on social media.
“It’s ironic Mahomes doesn’t like long seasons yet I can’t think of a single NFL soul who’s seasons last longer each one he plays in other than Mahomes, all his postseason games surpass everyone else’s in the time he’s been in,” one fan wrote on Twitter.
“He should step up and become president of the NFLPA. The owners would give him respect and a little attention. Also, other players would follow him,” another fan added.
It’ll be interesting to see how the league and NFLPA approach schedule expansion in the talks to come.